


The Soulmates of Tony Stark

by A_R_Nicoletti



Series: The soulmates of Tony Stark [1]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Awesome James "Rhodey" Rhodes, Bottom Tony Stark, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, Howard Stark's A+ Parenting, Howard Stark's Bad Parenting, Hurt Tony, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Insecure Tony, James "Rhodey" Rhodes & Tony Stark Friendship, M/M, Multi, Other, Protective Bucky Barnes, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, Tony Feels, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark-centric, Tony-centric, Top Bucky Barnes, Top Steve Rogers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-02
Updated: 2018-12-04
Packaged: 2019-09-05 15:37:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16813546
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_R_Nicoletti/pseuds/A_R_Nicoletti
Summary: (Based on the "Soul mate marks are a ring on the finger that changes colour depending on your mates mood but will turn black if they die)Anthony Edward Stark was born with two black rings on his fingers, one on each hand. He went through life knowing that he'd had not one, but two soulmates and both were dead, and long gone.





	1. Wishful thinking

**Author's Note:**

> I PROMISE IT'S GONNA BE GOOD GUYS NO ONE DIES OKAY?

Anthony Edward Stark was born with two black rings on his fingers, one on each hand. He went through life knowing that he'd had not one, but two soulmates and both were dead, and long gone.

As a boy, he never understood it, didn't get why his father called him an abomination and hit him all the time. But as a teenager, understanding what the rings meant, he mourned and chose instead to bury himself of work, graduating primary school early, then highschool, then university.  
Tony took to wearing real rings over his dead soul marks, he couldn't stand the knowing, pitying looks that others gave him.  
And so he his them, hid them from everyone, ignored his mothers heartbroken looks, his fathers drunken abuse, till the day they died and he was alone. Rhodey was there then, took him in, knew about his dead soulmates and did not pity him, instead, he showed him his blank fingers. Rhodey was born without a soulmate.

They grew close, as best friends as they could be but never anything more. They declared themselves soulmates to eachother, best friends to stand by one another till the end of their days.

The day they announced that Captain America had been pulled from the ice was the day that the ring soul-mark on Tony's left hand changed colour. He and Rhodey stared at it for hours, amazed.

"Tones, you know what this means?" Rhodey asked in wonderment.

"I-its not possible boo-bear, a dead soulmate is a dead soulmate, and there's no way in hell it could be Steven Grant Rogers, THE Captain America" he scoffed and shook his head, shaken.

"You know what they used today tony, Steve had two soul marks, one black, one most likely Bucky's. What if... What if black doesn't necessarily mean dead?" Rhodey looked at Tony, hopefully for his young, longing best friend.

But the iron man shook his head, and that was that. 


	2. Comatose

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A litle bit of unhealthy heartbreak.

Soon enough, the avengers were formed, they had a rocky start but all went well enough, the battle against loki went down, things began to settle and Tony, while uncomfortable, made do with what he had.

It was a sunny afternoon, where the sun sat low in the sky and the air-conditioning struggled against the heatwave that had struck, when Tony stumbled across a forlorn looking cap.

They had grown closer since fighting loki, spent a lot of time arguing which turned into playfights which turned into heated looks. Tony's heart was hopeful, more now so than ever, because the day he first met Steve, his left hand soulmate ring had turned pink. It meant that he had met his Soulmate. When Tony had realised this, he'd look to Steve's hand a few days later and noticed that just like Tony, he had one pink soulmark, and one black.

"Capsicle? What's up?" Tony asked, sitting down at the large window bay with the other man.

"I just-" Steve sighed and held up his hand. "The day this changed colour I met so many people I don't even know who it belongs to."

Tony swallowed, maybe now he should say something, but Steve continued.

"It was a shock you know? Waking up to a different world wasn't so far out of the realm of possibility with the way my life was, crazy but not the worst. But waking up to find that, my Right hand mark was still black, but my left hand which has been black all my life finally has colour? It's insane" he sighed, leaning his head back against the window bay's wooden walls

Tony nodded and bit his lip. Trying to think of what to say but then he watched as Steve stood up, begining to leave.

"Both my soul marks were black for over twenty years!" Tomy blurted out, slapping a hand over his mouth with wide eyes as Steve froze.

"What?" The super soldier turned, facing tony.

"I-i..." Tony sighed and closed his eyes, beginning again. "The day you were defrosted from the ice, the soul mark on my left hand changed colour, ever since I was born they've both been black. The day I met you, it turned pink. I never said anything because I couldn't really be sure it was you."

Tony looked up into Steve's blank, unseeing face and swallowed hard.

"I'm beginning to believe that, Black may just mean out of our reach, not necessarily dead" Tony barely said it as a whisper.

After what felt like minutes of Steve being silent, Tony stood abruptly and left, feeling heartbroken and silently rejected.

He was right, he was not fit for the love of one Captain America.

Tony's heart broke, everything in him was ruined and chaotic. He had been stupid, Tony had fallen in love and now? Now he had ruined his closest friendship outside of Rhodey and dear, sweet pepper.

He shut himself away, flooded with memories of movie nights and life lessons and donut runs with Steve, listening to takes off the old howling commandos and the trouble he got into. Tony felt lost, like a part of him was ripped away.

It was days later, after an engineering binge, with the place on full lockdown, that Tony heard from Steve again, and it was to the man calling out to one James. Bucky. Barnes.

The soul mark ring on his right hand changed colours.

Slowly, weeks passed, then months. Tony never went after Steve after he'd left, running after his love, his Soulmate that he believed lost. Tony fell into a deeper depression than ever and yet his heart still waited and yearned and hoped. He was stupid.

"Antoshka you can't keep doing this to yourself" Came a sweet, comforting voice one night. Cold, beautiful Natasha stood next to where he sat, working at his table.

She looked down at him with a soft eyes, and Tony knew what she was seeing.

He was a haggard, run down shell of the man he used to be, pale and unkept, sickly from the rejection of his Soulmate. It wouldn't kill him, but no one was ever the same again after a rejection. He was becoming sick, perhaps in a few more months, or even a year, he would fall into a deep coma and never wake again. They would place him in one of those glass caskets that sat in open golden fields and hospitals for families to come and see, with all the other comatose rejected patients.

"He rejected me Nat, there's nothing I can do" he said, voice of gravel and pain.

Her delicate features caved a little and she pulled him into her arms, she had suspected as much, but had hoped otherwise. Steve, Steve was an idiot.

"Come, Stark, watch a movie with me" she murmured into his hair, taking him but the hand and allowing Jarvis to shut down Tony's latest project.

Tony was compliant, curling up with the spy, watching movies with her till he fell asleep in fluffy pajamas with a soft blanket, and her fingers carrying through his hair.

"Oh Tony, the wrong this world does to you"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THIS IS THE LAST-ISH ANGSTY PART I PROMISE GUYS.


	3. A tinge of jealousy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve comes home, and Bucky and Tony finally meet, perhaps not under the best circumstances.

The day that Steve Rogers came stumbling back with a broken Bucky Barnes by his side was a day that Tony stark was unlikely to forget. He'd spent the day curled up to Natasha, sickly and weak, finding it hard to even find the will to make anything anymore. The others all watched on with heavy hearts, Clint, Rhodey, Bruce and Thor felt utterly useless in the face of Rejection, and instead endeavoured to provide as much care and comfort as Tony required in his fading days.

That's why, when Steve showed up at the doorway to the lounge, the four men sprung from their positions and placed themselves between Steve and Tony with threatening bared teeth, Natasha pulling the sleeping man closer to her form protectively.

"What are you doing back here" Growled Bruce lowly, looking a shade greener than usual.

Steve startled holding onto Bucky's arm and looking confused and hurt.

"Wooooah guys, what do you mean?" Steve asked, stepping back a little as he caught sight of Natasha's deadly glare over the top of the couch.

"We mean, after what you did to Tones, what are you doing here?" Rhodey hissed, glancing back at the couch to ensure that Tony was in fact still sleeping.

Steve frowned, looking to Bucky with a lost look, the other man only frowned, feeling uncomfortable in the tense stand off, neither of them had expected to be greeted so roughly.

"I don't understand" Steve tried, holding his hands out in surrender.

Everyone freezed as they heard a pained groan, and Natasha hissed at the men before massaging Tony's head soothingly. The man had become prone to headaches in the latter stages of rejection, and was always in some kind of pain.

"Tony?" Steve called put gently, he had been unaware that the billionare was even in the room.

Tony froze, opening his eyes and blinking them to see Natasha looking behind the couch with a murderous glare.

"Steve?" Tony whispered, struggling to sit up.

Clint rushed around the couch and together with Natasha, they helped the genius to sit upright.

Steve pale the instant he caught sight of Tony, unshaved, pale and sweaty, the bags under his eyes looking dark and bruising.

"O-oh god, what happened-" he took a step forward, letting go of Bucky. Thor let out a threatening grumble "-oh god this is all my fault isn't it" he whispered out, trembling slightly and faltering.

Tony stared, and stared and stared, wondering if Steve, the cap, was really there, or if he had begun to form a fever, hallucinations and all.

"Antoshka, you need to rest" Natasha murmured in his ear, and Tony shook his head.

"Why'd you come back?" He addressed Steve, voice grating and pained.

The super soldies both came into the room properly, Steve getting as close to Tony as the others would allow.

"I-i only left to find Bucky, sweetheart, he needed me-"

Clint snarked, cutting Steve off.

"Tony needed you! You left him here, rejected him, h-he's..." He couldn't bring himself to say it. Tony was their brother, their family, none of them wanted to lose him and yet it was happening slowly and painfully before their eyes.

"I'm sorry" Steve whispered, starting into Tony's hollow, sorrowful eyes. "I never meant to reject you, I just didn't know how to feel, how to react." He started, and Tony shook his head.

"I'm not good enough for the great Captain America, Steve Rogers, or even James Barnes-" he held up with hands, showing a pink ring on both, one much fresher and richer than the others, he had only just met barnes in person after all. "-I'm not surprised to be rejected, or angry. You two deserve eachother and I'm just-"

Steve made a wounded noise, cutting the genius off.

"You're an incredible, brilliant, selfless man Tony is me who doesn't deserve you, don't you ever say something like that I can't... I can't handle it" Steve's shoulders slumped, and Bucky took pity, slapping his back a little roughly and turning to Tony himself.

"And I've just met you, don't you believe that I should get the chance to decide if you're worthy of my mark or not?" He tilted his head and Tony felt himself brighten a little, blushing almost.  
"Besides-" Bucky held up his metal arm, and then his flesh arm with a bank band around his ring finger. "-I lost Steve's soul mark long ago, it's what helped Hydra keep their conditioning hold so strong, but yours? Yours I have doll, and I'd like to get to know the person behind it."

Tony nearly swooned, swaying on his spot on the couch with only Nat and Clint to support him.

"Please, let us try Tony?" Steve asked wide eyes and hopeful. And really, how could Tony say no?

"I-i would at least like a shower and all first" was all he managed, feeling kinda dazed but getting to his feet, which for once he was able to stand on by himself. "And perhaps some food and a good nights rest in my own bed, not that yours isn't comfy Nat"

He smiled at the redhead, pleased when she smiled back and kissed his cheek.

  
The rings around his fingers tinged green and Tony couldn't help but snort, already the two were getting jealous and envious over him.

He glanced at their soulmarks for him and was pleased to see them yellow. Yeah, that was right, he was definitely feeling happy all right.

And happy felt good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Evil cackles*


	4. Let us have this

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So I figured I'd give y'all a quick run down of the soul-rings colours and their meaning basically your ring with show your soulmates moods, and then when you meet it becomes pink and only partially changes colour (like dropping coloured watercolour onto wet paper) and mostly remains pink---
> 
> Black: "Out of reach" e.g: Bucky was believed to be dead and under the control of hydra so until he came face to face with them they could not reach the real him. Steve was buried in ice and lost.  
> Light Pink- medium pink: met your soulmate  
> Yellow: happy  
> Green: jealous/envious/territorial  
> Red: Anger, hatred, violence  
> Purple: lust, love, strong romantic feelings or sexual desire  
> Orange: fear/uncertainty  
> Blue: sadness, depression (can also be guilt if the emotion is strong enough. Pointing this out as I use it in this chapter)
> 
> Hope that clears up some confusion! Of course there are more emotions but they fall into most of those categories, I just sort of went with the strongest emotions that could physically show up on someone elses soul mark!

Tony sleep incredibly well for the first time in months. Found that overnight he made an almost full recovery. Steve and Bucky really, really weren't rejecting him.

He looked at his soul-rings, noting they were just plain pink. He guessed, neither Steve nor Bucky were feeling and emotion particularly strongly right now.

He felt happiness surge through him, giddy at the thought of how the two men wanted to try. It'd be difficult for sure, Bucky was still shaking off his conditioning and sorting out paperwork with shield, but for once he was free from the confines of control. Tony felt oddly excited for him, despite hardly knowing the guy behind Steve's stories.

Tony beamed when his soul rings flashed a beautiful yellow back at him, his Brooklyn boys must of picked up on his good emotions. And yeah, that's right, HIS Brooklyn boys.

Tony pushed himself out of bed eagerly, while he still felt a little on the side of tired he felt far better than he had just the day before, and relished his energy.

With loose, low riding thin sweatpants, a tight long sleeve red shirt and freshly brushed hair and teeth, he was out of his room and fast tracking it to the communal kitchen. He couldn't wait to show his teammates how much better he was already.

He strode into the kitchen, perhaps showing off just a little when he found Natasha, Clint, Thor, Bruce, Rhodey and the supersoldiers all spread out around the large, open plan cooking space.

"Lookin sharp Stark" Clint crowed, sounding pleased with an underlying tone of relief.

"You're not too bad yourself, drongo" he teased back, Clint just rolled his eyes.

"Really, more bird names?" He sassed right back, Tony grinned evilly, easily picking up the challenge.

"Chicken? Turkey! Nah too easy, hm, Popinjay, jackdaw?" Tomy snicked as Clints mouth went a little slack, having not known how much time Tony spent looking for bird related insults.

"Alright alright enough you two" Rhodey chucked, walking over to pull Tony into his arms tightly, conveying his care and love in the tight squeeze.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Tony saw his soulrings turning green, and as he glanced up at the super soldiers, they blushed in realisation and turned away.

"Caught red handled" he muttered at them, knowing they'd hear him.

They both checked their own hands, slumping in relief when they saw their soul rings were still the bright yellow colour of Tony's happiness.

He giggled, they were so high strung at the moment. He guessed they just wanted to get this right.

Tony felt guilty, and he looked down. They had only just gotten back and Bucky was healing and Tony was forcing them into proving themselves to him, god he felt stupid and selfish.

Two chairs abruptly scraped against the floor and Tony looked up as his two soldiers rushed towards him, and felt even more guilty at the blue that splashed their soul marks.

"Sweetheart? What is it, what's wrong" Steve asked, always so worried.

Tony shook his head.

"Can I talk to you both?" He asked lightly, and they nodded, following him quickly from the room with worried looks.

"What is it? What's wrong?" Bucky asked once they were in a sunny, window filled corridor away from the others.

"I-" Tony started, taking a deep breath before starting again, noticing that his fear and mild panic was tinging his soulmates marks orange with the blue and pink already there.

"You guys- I just- ugh" He couldn't figure out how to word it, and startled when Steve pulled him into his arms.

"Breath Tony, you need to breath sweetheart" Steve murmured into the geniuses hair, relishing the feeling of the smaller man finally in bis arms. Since the moment he had met Tony, it's all he had been dreaming of. Among other, less appropriate things that was.

"You guys just got back and should be focused on settling in and helping Bucky adjust and all not me" Tony rushed out, feeling strangled but warm in Steve's arms.

Steve tensed, pulling away from Tony a little.

"Hey, what bought this on?" He asked gently, and Bucky came closer to cuddle up behind Tony.

"I just think- I mean it's selfish of me really- you guys just got back and haven't had a chance to settle in and you're already having to prove yourselves and-"

"You cant beat yourself up like this doll" Bucky cut him off. "I've had enough resting under Hydra, I got my first soulmate back and I've finally got a chance with my second and if you think I'm not going to immediately jump on it you're wrong.  
I know we just met yesterday but I don't think I've felt this normal in a long time. It feels like the old days, chasing a certain gent-" Bucky ribbed Steve and both of them grinned. "-and experiencing new things, makes me feel like the old me. Having you here, my new soulmate, makes me feel like I've finally clicked in the last piece of a long and difficult puzzle. You're perfect Stark, and the perfect distraction. I just met you and from the way Steve's talked about you over the past few months, and meeting you now, I feel like I've known you and belonged here forever"

Tony stared up at Bucky with somewhat dazed and Glazed eyes, blinking widely up at the stunning, healing man.

"Buckys right babe, you complete us, you always have, the fates new that before you were even born. We were looking forwards to you even when we thought we lost you, so let us have this" Steve hummed, pressing a slow warm kiss to Tony's forhead.

"Yeah" he whispered back to them, "yeah okay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys should I make this a series or end it here?


End file.
